Invigoration, Inspiration, Information

Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People

by Darrin Zeer

Chronicle Books, 96 pages

The Peaceful Arts: Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, Stretching

Mark Evans, John Hudson

Lorenz Books, 192 pages

The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga

Georg Feuerstein

Shambhala, 304 pages

One day, there will be a genuine

"American yoga"

one that meets our culture's specific needs, without losing any of its vital spiritual energy. The process has already begun, the inevitable adaptation, simplification and synthesis is underway, giving rise to debates about accessibility on the one hand and preservation of yoga's rigorous spiritual tradition on the other. Meantime, we're blessed (or cursed) with an abundance of styles and methods from which to choose. Three new yoga books offer a broad and representative look at those choices.

By far the most streamlined and basic of the lot is Darrin Zeer's pocket-sized "Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People." As the title implies, Zeer offers a series of short, simple yoga stretches and poses or

asanas

designed for the home and office. "Office Yoga" takes the reader from early morning in-bed yoga stretches through workday routines (easily performed in the cramped and hurried atmosphere of the office) and returns home with gentle and lighthearted exercises such as "Yoga for Couch Potatoes."

"At-The-Desk-Relaxation," and "Afternoon Invigoration," offer a balanced mix of traditional Hatha yoga poses (e.g., Sun Salutation, Cobra, and Cat) and adaptations such as, "Keyboard Calisthenics" (for loosening wrists and fingers), "E-mail Meditation" (for calming nerves), and "Crowded Elevator Stretch" (to restore energy ). The exercises are enlivened by Michael Klein's retro, New Yorker-ish illustrations, as well as the occasional inspirational quote from the likes of Fred Astaire and Buddha.

Zeer doesn't spend much time teaching yoga concepts; this is a day-planner for relaxation, with a simple, easy-to-follow yoga routine for relieving stress. But it serves that purpose well.

"The Peaceful Arts: Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, Stretching," a coffee-table book with over 350 color illustrations, is a visual feast. Its authors, Evans, Hudson, and Tucker, have combined material from three previously published books into one holistic, "Eastern" approach to healthful living, with superb photographs and richly drawn illustrations. The book offers a broad sampling of each discipline (with the main emphasis on yoga), organized into three, 60-plus page sections.

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